Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version differ on the division of the strophes; most translations agree with Revised Standard Version, but New American Bible divides as does Good News Translation. It may be better to follow Revised Standard Version.

The first line of verse 8 is literally “Guard me as the pupil, the daughter of the eye”; “pupil” in Hebrew is literally “little man” (as reflected in one’s eye) and apple is an English figure for the Hebrew figure “daughter” (see the same figure in Deut 32.10; Pro 7.2). In Hebrew, as in English and many other languages, the apple of the eye is especially precious and must be carefully protected. Apple of the eye is frequently expressed as “the child of the eye,” “the daughter of the eye,” or “the fruit of the eye.”

The next figure, the shadow of thy wings, is a vivid way of speaking about security (also in 36.7; 57.1; 61.4; 63.7; 91.4). The figure may come from the animal world or from the winged creatures called “cherubim” whose wings stretched over the Covenant Box, symbolizing Yahweh’s presence with his people (Exo 25.18-20).

In some languages it may be necessary to switch from hide me to “protect me”; for example, “Protect me in the shade of your wings.” Where it is necessary to give a fuller expression to make the figurative meaning clear, one can often combine the figure with a simile; for example, “Protect me like a bird protects its young under its wings.”

From the wicked is literally “from the face of the wicked,” which may mean “from the fury of the wicked” (see Anderson). The verb translated despoil is a strong one; it means to completely destroy, devastate (in 91.6a it is used for “plague, pestilence”).

Deadly enemies (An American Translation, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New English Bible, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) translates a phrase “my enemies in nefesh.” Some take nefesh here in the sense of greed (Briggs, Anderson), “my enemies, who in their greed” (New American Bible “my ravenous enemies”). Others take it to refer to the psalmist himself, as in “my enemies … try to kill me” (see comments on “of me” in 3.2). My deadly enemies may require recasting, particularly in languages where “my enemies” is expressed as “people who fight against me” or “people who hate me.” Here one may say, for example, “people who fight me and want to kill me.”

The verb translated surround has the sense of “close in on” (see also 22.16; 48.12).

In verse 10 They close their hearts to pity (Good News Translation “they have no pity”) translates the Hebrew “They have shut tight their fat.” It is generally agreed that this means lack of compassion (see New Jerusalem Bible “engrossed in themselves”); some, however, see it as a figure of rebellion against God (see Isa 6.10, where “a fat heart” stands for stubbornness, unwillingness to obey God). Any reference to obesity should be avoided in translation (see Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “they are stuffed with fat”; Dahood “clogged with their blubber”).

Arrogantly translates a word meaning pride (also in 10.2) and is sometimes expressed figuratively as “having a swollen heart.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .